École normale supérieure de Lyon

On Thursday, April 2, 2026, CRAL's young researcher Armand Leclerc was awarded the European Astrophysical Society (EAS) MERAC Prize for the best PhD thesis in Theoretical Astrophysics.

Professor of Sociology of Education at the Science, Politics, and Society Observatory, within the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Lausanne
Visiting Professor 2025–2026: March 9–27, 2026
Host researcher: Julien Barrier

SpaceX's Crew Dragon 12 rocket successfully lifted off on February 13, 2026, carrying French astronaut Sophie Adenot, who was tasked with deploying MATISS-4. This experiment, led by Laurence Lemelle (CNRS, LGL-TPE, ENS de Lyon) was assembled by the LPENSL mechanical engineering department, under the supervision of Denis Le Tourneau. Photo credit: © NASA/ESA

In June 2025, Hanadi Bekai joined ENS de Lyon thanks to the Palestine Scholarship program to pursue her doctoral research at CIHAM. Her area of scholarship is Arabic Language and Literature; she studies unpublished manuscripts from the 14th to the 18th centuries. Hanadi’s stay at ENS de Lyon has given her the structure, advising, and resources necessary to advance her research while engaging in international scholarly collaboration.

Associate Professor in the Department of Economics and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Singapore
Visiting Professor 2025-2026: From February 24 to March 19, 2026.
Host Professor: Jean-Pascal Bassino

Associate Professor in Institute of Astronomy, Faculty of Science, Tohoku University, Japan
Visiting Professor 2025-2026: From February 21 to March 29, 2026.
Host Professor: Benoît Commerçon 

Olivier Hamant, INRAE Research Director at the Plant Reproduction and Development Laboratory and Director of the Michel Serres Institute, was awarded an honorary doctorate by UC Louvain (Université Catholique de Louvain) on Thursday, February 12, 2026, alongside Izzeldin Abuelaish, a Palestinian-Canadian doctor and professor, and Salomé Saqué, a French journalist. The 2026 edition of this award, the highest distinction a university can bestow on a foreign personality, was held under the theme “Enlighten to understand, resist to move forward.” 
Learn more about Olivier Hamant, his work, and his commitment, as seen from UC Louvain.

As part of the ENS-IISER partnership, Gayatree MISHRA , a doctoral student from IISER Bhopal, joined ENS de Lyon through the BIOSANTEXC program and completed a three-month internship at the IGFL.

On the School's website and social media pages, meet inspiring women who are committed to research with determination and passion. ENS de Lyon pays tribute to their careers, which prove that women have a rightful place in research.

Co-published by ENS Éditions and the Ministry of Culture (DEPS), the book Lire la romance offers a new translation of the 1991 edition of Reading the Romance, published under the title Lire la romance in the early 1980s, in an academic context marked by the emergence of women's studies and feminist studies in the United States.

As part of the ENS-IISER partnership, Aswathy LATIKA BABU, a doctoral student at the NCCS, joined ENS de Lyon through the BIOSANTEXC program and completed a three-month internship at the IGFL.

On January 30, 2026, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) signed an agreement to build the Blue Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (BlueMUSE), a new instrument for ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT). Thumbnail credit © ESO

Henri Chamoux, research engineer at LARHRA, is the winner of the 2026 Independent Initiatives Award from ARSC – the Association for Recorded Sound Collections. This award recognizes his invention of Archéophone, the first professional cylinder transfer platform, and the creation of Phonobase, a website that provides access to thousands of sound recordings for preservation purposes. Thumbnail credit: Henri Chamoux / LARHRA / CNRS

According to a CNRS communication dated January 26, 2026. Based on a scientific publication in Development to which Longwei Bai, Stéphanie Bellemin, Elodie Guillemot, Maura Strigini, Benjamin Gillet, Cathy Isaura Ramos, and François Leulier, members of the IGFL, contributed: “Ecdysone-mediated intestinal growth contributes to microbiota-driven developmental plasticity under malnutrition.” Thumbnail credit: © François LEULIER/CNRS Images

Natacha Gillet, a researcher at the ENS Lyon Chemistry Laboratory (LCH), is one of 18 winners of the Émergence 2026 program, which supports researchers with innovative projects in the field of chemistry.

The call from India to France is closed. 

According to a CNRS communication dated December 23, 2025. Based on a scientific publication in Genome Biology to which Dario D'Asaro, Jean-Michel Arbona, Vinciane Piveteau, Aurèle Piazza, Cédric Vaillant, and Daniel Jost, members of the Laboratory of Biology and Modeling of the Cell (CNRS/ENS Lyon/INSERM/Univ Lyon 1), contributed: “Genome-wide modeling of DNA replication in space and time confirms the emergence of replication-specific patterns in vivo in eukaryotes.” Thumbnail credit © Dario D'Asaro

François Rousset, researcher at the International Research Center in Infectious Diseases (CIRI) and head of the “Molecular Genomics of Microorganisms” team, was awarded the Paoletti Prize on January 7, 2026, a prize that recognizes promising young scientists in all fields of biology. Photo credit © CNRS

PhD/Postdoctoral mobility from India to France: the campaign is closed.

On Monday, December 15, 2025, at Université Lyon 2, the Rhône Auvergne delegation held its CNRS 2025 Talent Awards ceremony. Among the winners were four members of ENS de Lyon! They are Gwyneth Ingram, CNRS researcher and director of the Plant Reproduction and Development Laboratory (silver medal); Benjamin Wesolowski, CNRS research fellow at the Center for Pure and Applied Mathematics (bronze medal); Stéphanie Durand, CNRS researcher and seismologist at LGL-TPE (bronze medal); and Justine Lascar, CNRS research engineer and member of the ICAR laboratory (collective crystal for the RUSHS network). We also extend our congratulations to the alumni of ENS de Lyon who have won two silver medals and six bronze medals.

After receiving his honorary doctorate, Hartmut Rosa joined Christine Détrez, Olivier Hamant, and Lukas Pairon in a roundtable discussion about acceleration, alienation, and resonance as ways of relating to the world. Watch the video of this conference.

On December 5, 2025, Laurence Roulleau-Berger, Emeritus Research Director at the CNRS, Triangle Laboratory, and French Director of the International Advanced Laboratory (CNRS-ENS de Lyon/Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Post-Western Sociology in Europe and in China) was appointed Vice President for European Engagement at the Global China Academy.

Lucie Étienne, Research Director at the International Research Center in Infectious Diseases (CNRS/ENS de Lyon/INSERM/Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1/Hospices Civils de Lyon/Université Jean Monnet – Saint-Étienne) has just been awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant for the FUNEVO project. Photo credit © Sidaction - CNRS

Following the call for applications launched in 2023 for the 1% for art, the M8 building at ENS de Lyon will be enriched with a contemporary work of art: “Éclosion du visible” (Emergence of the Visible) by artist Capucine Vanderbrouck. A creation at the crossroads of art and science.

Romain Graziani, professor of Chinese studies at ENS de Lyon and researcher at the Institut d'Asie Orientale, received the Académie des Belles-Lettres prize and the Sollers prize for his book Les Lois et les Nombres. Photo credit © Gallimard - Francesca Mantovani

According to a press release from Université Grenoble Alpes and the CNRS dated December 3, 2025. Based on a scientific publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics, to which the Lyon Astrophysics Research Center (CRAL, CNRS / Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 / ENS de Lyon) of the Lyon Observatory of Universe Sciences contributed: “Characterization of debris disks observed with SPHERE.” Photo credit: © N. Engler et al./Astronomy & Astrophysics

At the INRIA - Académie des Sciences 2025 awards ceremony on November 25, Jean-Michel Muller, CNRS research director at LIP - Laboratoire de l'Informatique du Parallélisme (Inria Center in Lyon/CNRS/ENS de Lyon/UCBL), received the highest distinction, the INRIA Grand Prize.

On Monday, November 24, 2025, the team behind the “Les Jardins de la Physique 2.0” project, led by the École de Physique des Houches (Les Houches, CEA/CNRS/ENS de Lyon/Université Grenoble Alpes) in Haute-Savoie and the Institut d'Études Scientifiques de Cargèse (IESC, CNRS/ Université of Corsica Pasquale Paoli / Université Côte d'Azur) was awarded a CNRS Collective Crystal. Photo credit © CNRS Paris-Normandie

According to a CNRS press release dated November 14, 2025. In January 2024, the CNRS launched a collective scientific study to examine the uses of rare earths from a circular economy perspective. The results of this study were presented on November 14, 2025, at a public symposium. This work, which draws on 4,100 scientific articles, aims to provide an integrated overview of the scientific knowledge available on the challenges and opportunities of responsible rare earth use. Romain Garcier, senior lecturer in geography at ENS de Lyon (CNRS/EVS), is one of the scientific leaders of this study, alongside Pascale Ricard (CNRS) and Clément Levard (CNRS). Photo credit: © Cyril Fresillon / Mecaware / CNRS Images

According to a CNRS publication dated November 18, 2025, based on a press release from the ESO (European Southern Observatory). On November 10, four lasers simultaneously pierced the sky at Cerro Paranal in Chile, marking a major milestone in the GRAVITY+ project, to which the Lyon Astrophysics Research Center (CRAL / OSUL – Sponsored by: CNRS / ENS de Lyon / Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1). Photo: Artist's rendering of the GRAVITY+ project on the VLT © ESO

Renowned sociologist and political philosopher, professor at Friedrich Schiller University in Jena and director of the Max Weber College at the University of Erfurt, Hartmut Rosa will honor us with his presence at ENS de Lyon on December 15, 2025, as part of the ceremony to award him an Honoris Causa Doctorate, followed by a public lecture in English entitled: “Acceleration, Alienation, and Resonance: Forms of Connecting with the World.” Here, we invite you to discover his rich professional and academic career, as well as the various scientific fields to which he has made significant contributions. Photo credit © Jürgen Scheere

The 2026 JoRISS call for Sino-French research projects is open as of October 19 2026.

According to a CNRS publication dated November 5, 2025. Based on a scientific publication in Nature Communications to which Stéphane Santucci, a CNRS researcher at ENS de Lyon's Physics Laboratory (LPENSL), contributed: Multiscale stress dynamics in sheared liquid foams revealed by tomo-rheoscopy. Thumbnail credit: © CNRS

According to a communication from the CNRS dated November 12, 2025. Based on a scientific publication in Nature Ecology & Evolution to which Lucie Étienne, CNRS research director at CIRI, and Alexandre Legrand, INSERM researcher and CIRI doctor, contributed: Evolutionary characterization of antiviral SAMD9/9L across kingdoms supports ancient convergence and lineage-specific adaptations. Thumbnail photo credit: © Cédric SUEUR/Marie PELE/IPHC/CNRS Images

The institutions of the ComUE Lyon Saint-Étienne have outlined their joint scientific strategy, with the announcement of two new interdisciplinary thematic institutes and two disciplinary coordination networks. This strategy is based on a dual disciplinary and interdisciplinary approach, with the aim of creating solid disciplinary foundations in both training and research and establishing networks designed to foster innovative scientific approaches to major societal challenges.

According to a CNRS communication dated October 29, 2025. Based on a scientific publication in Physical Review Letters to which Ludovic Bellon, a CNRS researcher at ENS de Lyon's Physics Laboratory (LPENSL), contributed: “Information Engine Fueled by First-Passage Times.” Thumbnail image: a Brownian particle (subject to thermal agitation) wanders in a confined well until it reaches a threshold, where an automated system (a demon) acts on the position of the well to extract energy from the particle. © Aubin Archambault, Caroline Crauste-Thibierge, Alberto Imparato, Christopher Jarzynski, Sergio Ciliberto, Ludovic Bellon.

Isabelle Baraffe, member of CRAL, Corentin Herbert, member of LPENSL, and Édouard Bonnet, member of LIP, as well as nine alumni of ENS de Lyon – Charles-Édouard Brehier, Émilie Capron, Jeanne Costante (Crassous), Éric Falcon, Louis Fayard, Pierre-Olivier Lagage, Yvon Maday, Hubert Saleur, and Jérémie Szeftel – have been distinguished at the 2025 French Academy of Sciences awards ceremony. Thumbnail photo © All rights reserved.

Léa Chazot Franguiadakis, researcher at LPENSL, and entrepreneur Typhaine Brual, incubated at ENS de Lyon, are among the winners of the French Government’s Innovation Competition, in the i-PhD category, which supports the development of emerging start-ups.

According to a CNRS communication dated October 16, 2025. Based on a scientific publication in Current Biology to which the RDP laboratory at ENS de Lyon contributed: “Robust branch patterning in moss shoots via symplasmic auxin diffusion.” Image © Des Callaghan

National press release. The 4MOST instrument, installed in Chile on the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) VISTA telescope and developed largely by teams from the CNRS, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, and ENS de Lyon, has just achieved first light. This first ray of light from space, analyzed by the instrument's spectrographs, marks the beginning of a great adventure in studying and mapping the sky: thanks to its cutting-edge technology, 4MOST can study the light from 2,400 celestial objects simultaneously, every 15 minutes. Thumbnail image credit: Image: Roelof de Jong / AIP; Jens-Kristian Krogager / CRAL; background image: Harshwardhan Pathak / Telescope Live

Mathieu Couttenier, professor of economics at ENS de Lyon and director of the CERGIC laboratory, has published L’Économie de la violence with Les Léonides (publisher).

According to a press release from the Lyon Observatory dated September 4, 2025, based on a scientific publication to which Elliot Lynch, researcher at CRAL (ENS de Lyon/CNRS/UCBL), contributed as part of an international team: “ALMA Reveals an Eccentricity Gradient in the Fomalhaut Debris Disk”, published in The Astrophysical Journal on September 4, 2025.

According to a CNRS announcement dated September 29, 2025, based on a scientific publication in Nucleic Acids Research to which Vincent Mocquet, research fellow at ENS de Lyon within the LBMC, contributed. Thumbnail: The HTLV-1 retrovirus © Vincent Mocquet

According to a CNRS communication dated September 22, 2025, based on a scientific publication in Current Biology co-authored by Yoan Coudert, CNRS researcher at the RDP, ENS de Lyon, together with Saioa Ricou-Dreneuc and Claudine Ah-Peng: “Architectural shift to epiphytism fuels exotic bryophyte invasiveness.”

The Artificial Intelligence Day, organized by AILyS at the Campus Région du numérique, aims to strengthen collaborations between researchers and businesses to foster innovative AI projects in the Lyon–Saint-Étienne area. Supported by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, the event features conferences and thematic workshops focused on key fields such as health, chemistry, security, and digital frugality.

Thibaut Radomme is a senior lecturer in medieval literature at Université Jean Monnet Saint-Étienne and a researcher-teacher at the IHRIM laboratory. He has published the collective volume Des frères mendiants en français with Classiques Garnier.